One woman died and another was hospitalized as a result of drinking too much water

A woman has died and another has been hospitalized after drinking too much water, according to recent news reports.

Events show that while hydration is important for health, we sometimes tend to drink too much water

TikTok user Michelle Fairburn shared her experience of being hospitalized for "water poisoning" on the platform in July after "drinking an excessive amount of water as part of the '75 Hard' challenge, which requires people to drink 4 liters of water per day. 

According to Fairburn, she started feeling nauseated and weak on day 12 of the challenge. She also had diarrhea and severe abdominal pain. These symptoms sent him to the doctor, who eventually diagnosed him with a "severe sodium deficiency."

Although Fairburn has since recovered, another woman — an Indiana mother of two named Ashley Summers — died of water toxicity last month.

Summers, 35, reportedly told family members he felt like he was "very thirsty" and ended up drinking four bottles of water in 20 minutes. She later died in her garage.

Although fatal water intoxication is rare, it can happen - here's what to watch out for.

Drinking too much water

The biggest concern with drinking too much water is developing a condition called hyponatremia, which can also be known as water intoxication, water poisoning, or overhydration.

Hyponatremia occurs when a person drinks so much water that the electrolytes in the blood become diluted, Natasha Trentacosta, MD, pediatric and adult sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, told Health.

"A generally healthy person's kidneys will be able to regulate that water balance," Eric Adkins, MD, a physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Health. "But when the kidneys can't keep up with excreting water, sodium levels in the body become more and more diluted. It is progressive and can be dangerous.”